Chicago's My Pi pizzeria to close for good after 54 years
My Pi, a classic Chicago deep-dish pizzeria, announced Thursday that it will soon close its doors for good.
My Pi, stylized as My Π, has been in business since 1971. Its last remaining outpost, in a strip mall at 2010 N. Damen Ave. in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood, has been open since 2000. But its reach has stretched well beyond Chicago over the years.
"We introduced deep-dish beyond Illinois, opened 25 locations across nine states, and shared our family recipe with generations of pizza lovers," Richard Aronson and the My Pi family said in an Instagram post announcing the closure. "We've been honored to be part of your celebrations, your cravings, your late nights, and your family dinners. Your support means the world to us."
Richard Aronson wrote for the My Pi website that his father, Larry Aronson, began developing his own recipe for deep-dish pizza in the 1950s. The 4elder Aaronson continued working on the recipe while attending business school at Northwestern University.
"My dad based his pizza recipe on improving his favorite pizza," Richard Aronson wrote. "He studied and experimented with tomatoes that were not as acidic and he developed a 'spice pack' that would enhance the flavor of the tomatoes on his pizza."
Larry Aronson worked his way up through the business world to become a partner in a major financial brokerage firm, all while people said he should open his own pizzeria, Rich Aronson wrote. And soon afterward, Larry Aronson did just that.
The first My Pi location opened in 1971 at 6568 N. Sheridan Rd., across from Loyola University in the Rogers Park neighborhood.
Over the years, My Pi opened more than 20 restaurants in nine states. Rich Aronson wrote on the pizzeria's website that My Pi was the first Chicago deep-dish pizza restaurant outside of Illinois, and was touted as the best pizza in in the towns where it opened.
Many Chicagoans fondly remember the flagship My Pi location at 2417 N. Clark St., just north of Fullerton Parkway in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, which opened in 1978.
In an article published Thursday, Ashok Selvam of Eater recalled the distinctive atmosphere of the Lincoln Park location: "The dimly lit space featured a salad bar in the center, and an enclave hiding two arcade video games where takeout customers would hear Pac-Man gobbling up pellets or Mike Haggar from Final Fight punching out bad guys."
But even before the Lincoln Park location opened, there were My Pi franchises in Florida; Minnesota; Connecticut; Colorado; and Long Island, New York, the My Pi website noted. More franchises opened in other cities across the country through the late 70s and early 80s.
My Pi also opened Aronson family-run locations in north suburban Winnetka in 1982, and Wilmette and Wheeling in 1985. A west suburban Glen Ellyn restaurant that started as a franchise in 1976 reopened as a family-run restaurant in 1984.
Larry Aronson called it a day at the Lincoln Park My Pi in 2008, and the Bucktown location is now the only one left.
On its website, My Pi touts its one-of-a-kind pizza in the pan — with its tomato sauce using San Marzano-style Roma tomatoes and a secret recipe of herbs and spices.
Rich Aronson also notes on the website that My Pi's fresh homemade dough uses a recipe his father developed as a fourth-generation baker whose family came to the U.S. from Bialystock, Belarus, in 1905. The sausage is made from fresh, primal-cut meat with herbs and spices to match the tomato sauce, and all the cheeses on the pizzas are artisan-made in central Wisconsin, My Pi notes.
My Pi also features a full vegan pizza and sandwich menu, and has been long known for its made-to-order salads and homemade desserts.
Rich Aronson and the My Pi family wrote that My Pi's last day of service will be in late June, and they will continue accepting nationwide shipping orders through June 22.
"Come by for one last bite and help us say goodbye the best way we know how — over great pizza," Aronson wrote.
